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What a jam packed week of fun filled Ramah tradition. We started out with song and dance and ended with the return of Machon from their famed "Tza'adah" with hugs, cheer and....a lot mud. The entire camp is busy preparing for our beautiful "white Shabbat" and we are all looking forward to greeting our guests on Yom Kehillah on Sunday.
The week began with Ramah swinging into full gear with the sound of the campers performing at Dalia. This session's music and dance festival was an outstanding show. All campers performed a song and dance in Hebrew that they have been working on since the first days here. It was amazing to see each Edah's performance led by the very talented music director, David Ross and Rikud, Dance director CeCe Hanono. Click on the link, Staff Profile, to read about these amazingly talented staff members.
Several edot participated in their overnight tiyulim this week, starting with Machon's departure for their legendary Tza'adah trip. Machon campers spent three nights at Big Bear Lake, then finished up with one night at Ojai's own beautiful Lake Casitas. On Friday morning, Machon campers and staff marched from Lake Casitas to Ramah, stopping along the way at the Ojai Fire Station to be doused with water (after all, water + dirt = MUD HUGS). Although camp seemed quiet without them, they more than made up for their absence with their spirited return on Friday during lunch, when they stormed into the chadar ochel with "mud hugs" and rocked the dining hall with song and ruach.
On Tuesday, Tzofim girls left for Masa, their tiyul, at Lake Piru. They were joined by Tzofim boys on Wednesday afternoon, and the girls returned to camp on Thursday while the boys had one additional night. Both groups enjoyed kayaking in Ventura Harbor as part of their adventure. This staggered structure allows for greater bonding time among the girls and boys separately, as well as one night with the edah together. Amitzim also enjoyed their tiyul on Thursday with a visit to the Santa Barbara Zoo, followed by camping at El Capitan in Santa Barbara.We welcomed several guest specialists to camp throughout the week to share their expertise with chanichim.
On Sunday, volleyball specialist, Michelle Kaufman worked with campers of all levels on learning and improving their skills and teamwork. She worked with campers on all aspects of volleyball, including serving, passing, setting and hitting, before putting all the skills together to actually play games. We also had Horticulturist and garden expert Ellen Hausman spent several days this week working with campers on composting and "green" gardening techniques.
On Wednesday, we bid goodbye to our wonderful Gesher C campers after two weeks of fun, learning and friendship. Campers finished their session with a special overnight in Gesher's own treehouse. On the last night of the session, Gesher C campers enjoyed an evening with a campfire and singing at Ma'agal Ilan. On Thursday,we welcomed a new group of Gesher D campers who will join us through the end of the summer.
This Shabbat at camp is Shabbat Lavan, or "white Shabbat," as campers and staff celebrate the beauty and purity of Shabbat by wearing white clothes. As we prepare to daven, sing, eat, learn and relax together, we wish the Ramah community a Shabbat Shalom!
Check out the photos of the week by logging into your Ramah account at www.ramah.org. Photos are updated 4 times a week. Enjoy them!
Shabbat Shalom! |
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VISITOR'S DAY INFORMATION
Yom Kehillah (Visitor's Day)
Sunday, August 8, 2010
1:00 - 4:30pm
We are looking forward to seeing many of you on Sunday at Yom Kehillah - Community Day - a day in which the community of Camp Ramah in California parents and family can visit campers, our community gets a chance to see how Ramah has changed - and stayed the same! - and our alumni have a chance to reunite after summers gone by. We are particularly excited because this Sunday, our community will get a chance to say good-bye to Rabbi Dan after nine years as Executive Director, and to meet Rabbi Joe Menashe, the incoming Executive Director of Camp Ramah in California. We hope the following schedule will give you a better sense of what to expect on Sunday - we look forward to seeing you!
Visitor's Day Schedule:
Throughout the day please visit our Canteen table outside of the Dining Room to purchase Ramah wearables, drinks and snacks.
1:00-2:00 Welcome to Camp Ramah! Enjoy free time with campers, visitors and family
Throughout the afternoon you can visit and personally enjoy these camp
activities:
1.) Enjoy musical performances in the BKR
2.) Israeli dancing with Cecilia, Tali, Morgan, Lia & Aya in the Gazebo
3.) Art Room for demonstrations and a gallery that has camper art on sale
for the Ramah scholarship fund
2:30 - 3:30 -Meet your child(ren)'s counselors in their bunk/tent. The counselors haveplanned a special bunk/tent activity for campers and their visitors (2:45-3:15).
-Parents of Ezra Staff meet at the Staff Lounge
3:00-4:00
1.) Varsity Basketball Game vs. Camp Alonim at the Basketball Court
2.) Attend a Q & A with outgoing and incoming Executive Directors Rabbi
Dan and Rabbi Joe Menashe in the New Library
3.) Visit the Moomchim (Specialists) in their specialty areas:
(arts and crafts) Omanut (by the bunk area)
(jewelry) Omanut (by the bunk area)
(ceramics) Omanut (by the bunk area)
(drama) Amphitheater
(cooking) Chug kitchen (by the office)
(Israeli & Hip-Hop dance) Gazebo Banot
(ropes course) Ropes Course
(media arts) Zimmer Room (next to main office)
(Israel) New Library
(Judaics) New Library (in front of office)
(krav maga) Dojo (next to the Gan Kitchen)
Fitness & kickboxing (Behind the Marp)
(archery) Road across from the Whizin Building
4:00-4:30 ceremony at the bottom of the hill
4:30-5:00 Goodbyes - See you in another year! Le'hetraot!
A note about goodbyes...
When it is time to say goodbye at the end of the day, please know that sometimes this separation can be difficult for some campers. Based on our experience it is helpful to keep the goodbye process loving but brief. Our staff and counselors have planned many fun activities for Sunday night so that campers can get back into the camp routine after spending a great day with their visitors.
If you're able to join us - great! If not, your campers will enjoy meeting other visitors and will also have access to activities and treats reserved for campers without visitors. Please know that we cannot accommodate alternate visits outside of the ones that occur as part of the program on August 8th. Please remember that Gesher D campers will be enjoying an off site field trip and not available for visitors.
Visitors are not permitted to drive directly into the camp, but instead access a shuttle service from Nordhoff High School (1401 Maricopa Highway Ojai) starting at 12:00pm.
--Please support the kashrut policy of the Ramah community by bringing kosher foods only. --All visitors should be two-legged (please leave animals at home).
--Visits occur in camp. Please do not plan to take your campers off-site.
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D'var Torah from Visiting Rabbi Richard Camras
HaYom/Today: An Opportunity for Blessings
 This week's Torah portion begins, "Re-eh anochi noten lifney chem hayom bracha uklalah - Behold I set before you today blessing and curse." In commenting on the verse, Rabbi Hanoch of Alexandria, a Chassidic rabbi from Eastern Europe, added the following interpretation, "Behold I am giving you today, it can be either a blessing or a curse." In other words, today is the gift that God gives us. It is the most precious gift there is and only we can decide how we will treat this gift.
What a marvelous reading of the text; one in fact that is lived consciously each and every day at Camp Ramah. When campers and staff alike wait a whole year in great anticipation for a summer at Ramah, one can be certain that these same young people will not waste even a moment of the time they have here at Camp. Swimming, hiking, hugim, music, dance, friendship, overnights, study and laughter are all packed into each precious day at Ramah.
Aware that the month travels all too quickly, campers fill each moment with the sacred and precious, living each moment as a blessing. Perhaps that is one of the most wonderful gifts of summer camp. Knowing that there is an imposed time limit, we are compelled to make the most of each and every day. Although camp is, in a sense, fictitious time, living in a marvelously self -imposed sanctuary, its lessons of conscious living are nevertheless a poignant reminder to all of us.
Rabbi Hanoch's interpretation of the text reminds us that today is the only day we have. Yesterday is gone forever while tomorrow is still undetermined. What we know with certainty is today-- which is why it is called 'the present'. How we spend the present, the choices of what we do are completely in our hands. We can make of it a blessing or a curse by how we live within it.
As we begin this week the month of Elul, our tradition's time to begin reflecting on our past year with the recognition of what we want to do differently in the future, let us take the lesson of Rabbi Hanoch and the message of Camp Ramah and turn them into our own opportunities to bless each new day God grants us.
Rabbi Richard Camras has been the Senior Rabbi of Shomrei Torah Synagogue, West Hills, California, for 12 years. He attended Camp Ramah in the '70's & '80's as a camper, counselor, and Rosh Edah. He is proud that his two children and three nephews are continuing the family chain of Ramahniks.
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 For over 20 years, David Ross has been entertaining the world with his dynamic voice, distinguished piano playing and teaching, and creative songwriting. David's music has been played and performed throughout the United States, as well as internationally. David's music combines elements of rock, pop, folk, and jazz to create a mixture of fresh and engaging sounds. David served as Music & Cultural Arts Director for Camp Ramah in CA from 1994-2003. For over 13 years at Camp Ramah, David arranged and performed the music for over 75 musical productions. Since moving to Denver in 2006, David has been Business Director for the JCC Ranch Camp, served as the Music Director for the Denver branch of the Rocky Mountain Theater for Kids, was an accompanist for Kids Theatre West, a cantorial soloist for Temple Micah and a music educator for The Odyssey School. Currently, David is a cantorial soloist for Temple Micah and he runs a piano teaching studio. David resides in the Stapleton area of Denver with his wife Lauren and daughter Maya.
 Originally from Argentina, Cecilia's experience as an educator goes back to 1995 when after obtaining her certification as a madricha she was selected to work in the Sociedad Hebraica Argentina as a group counselor. In the States, Cecilia has served as Youth Director at Temple Menorah in Redondo Beach and in Pasadena Jewish Temple and Center for their USY chapter. Since 2005, she has been teaching Israeli culture through the arts. She teaches tolerance, diversity and multiculturalism through Israeli folk dance in both, Jewish organizations and in the Los Angeles Unified School District, through Keshet Chaim, where she is the Director of Education.
Cecilia is the Cultural Arts and Dance Director for Camp Ramah in California and has participated in the March of the Living as a group coordinator. She has the longest curly red hair in town, and if you see her pass by, make sure you say hi!
Cecilia obtained her Psychology degree from the American Jewish University (formerly University of Judaism) in 2006, complementing her two previous degrees in Graphic Design and in Communications from the ORT Technological Institute in Argentina. |
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Rabbi Daniel Greyber and Dr. Zach Lasker
Executive Director and Camp Director
Camp Ramah in California
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17525 Ventura Blvd.
Suite 201
Encino, CA 91316
Phone: (310)476-8571
Fax: (310)472-3810 |
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